Season 2015 - St Kilda

Football Discussion Non Essendon Stuff
1

I didnt do this last season. Disillusioned and all that sort of BS. If you dont like analysing other teams, go somewhere else. Is a nice way to get ready for the new season. We start at the bottom of the ladder and work our way up with the Bombers being the last team analysed. I have changed the format somewhat.

St Kilda

Coach - Alan Richardson

2014 -
Points for - 17th
Points Against - 18th

Top 5 Best and Fairest

  1. Nick Reiwoldt
  2. Lenny Hayes
  3. Sean Dempster
  4. Leigh Montagna
  5. Luke Delaney

2013/2014 Rising Star Noms
Luke Dunstan
Jack Billings

Ins
Tim Membrey, Patrick McCartin, Hugh Goddard, Daniel McKenzie, Jack Lonie, Jack Sinclair (rk), Ahmed Saad (rk), Brenton Payne (rk), Adam Schneider (moved to rookie list)

Outs
Lenny Hayes, Beau Maister, James Gwilt, Rhys Stanley, Clint Jones, Terry Milera, Trent Dennis-Lane, Sam Dunnell

My prediction

When you look at the top 5 in last years BnF it is hard to see the way forward in the short term. They lack depth, have traded poorly and have let too much of their top level talent leave which of course limits the development of the youngsters. They found a couple last year but need a lot more at the young end of the list after topping up for a lot of years to try and squeeze a premiership out of a list which came so close.

The coach looks the goods but has a big job ahead of him. Bottoming out during the GWS/GC years makes the rebuild a lot slower. When your top 5 includes one player about to retire, one who has retired and two who would struggle to get a game in a lot of teams you have your work cut out. Watching them last year, their ball delivery and basic skills were a long way from where they need to be and that wont change quickly.

They have the first pick joining them this year although would think he is a couple of years away from having any real impact.

I cant see the Saints getting of the bottom of the table. 18th again for mine.

2

"1. Nick Reiwoldt
2. Lenny Hayes
3. Sean Dempster
4. Leigh Montagna
5. Luke Delaney "
Boy that’s a worry for them. 4 old crones and a bloke who’s just a player.

Guess the question is in the medium term, for all the talk, and all the trades, did Pelchen take them forward, back, or sideways?

Dunstan and Billings were really impressive, give them that, Roberton going backwards, Markworth and White unseen, Savage anything but, Lee a no show, McEvoy has been a great acquisition for a flag side and would be coming into his own now as a leader.

3

The McEvoy one was strange
Potentially their next captain and right in that age group where they have absolutely no one

4

Plenty of inexperienced players on the list, so, hopefully for them, a lot of room for improvement.
Probably favourites for the spoon - but a big danger to the Bombers top 4 chances as the Dons have developed a habit of getting beaten by the worst teams in the competition.

5

I think this is a conscious decision to bottom out on their part. When Goddard & dal Santo left they must have seen the writing on the wall, and I think they drafted accordingly. Wright and White in particular a couple if years back were two talented but very in-need-of-time prospects, wright has been injured while white just started to show a bit late last year. McCartin will play a reasonable amount of senior footy this year, he won’t dominate off the bat but he wont be disgraced like Watts was and the experience will be good for him. Bruce has been a cheap & handy pickup for them, they’ll be looking for him to move into a number 1 kpd spot soon. The McEvoy trade still boggles the mind though.

Will be pretty crap this year, but at least this year they’ll be pretty crap playing a young side, rather than being pretty crap playing a bunch of near-retirees.

6

I actually think they have traded and drafted well the last two years.

For the McEvoy trade, they got Savage, who I think can play despite an ordinary start, and a first rounder which they used on Dunstan. Dunstan is a type you can build a midfield around. They also traded two picks for first round upgrade, netting Acres. Delaney was great value at 77, finishing 5th in the B&F, the Longer trade sets up their ruck division long-term, while Current and Templeton are great value late draft/rookie picks.

The previous year they traded two picks twice for upgrades, and got Hickey, who I think is a better prospect than McEvoy as a pure ruckman, and Lee, who looks like he could be a bust at pick 12. But at least they have tried to address their key forward issues. Wright, Murdoch and Saunders all look good prospects from that draft.

Yes, they are going to struggle next season, and it’s going to be a while before they are competitive again. But I think they have made some brave and smart decisions that will set them up long-term.

7

I hope Freo is watching what sort of state Ross Lyon left this list in.

I agree with Dill, I think they’ve made some good decisions in recent years, and there is a decent crop of kids coming through. But it’s a LONG way back from where they are.

8

You can’t blame Lyon for going hard at the Premiership.

9

A reply to: @Windy Dill regarding QuoteLink

You can't blame Lyon for going hard at the Premiership.

You can when they don’t win it, and then he just deserts them, leaving them with a list like he did.

10

A reply to: @Windy Dill regarding QuoteLink

I actually think they have traded and drafted well the last two years.

For the McEvoy trade, they got Savage, who I think can play despite an ordinary start, and a first rounder which they used on Dunstan. Dunstan is a type you can build a midfield around. They also traded two picks for first round upgrade, netting Acres. Delaney was great value at 77, finishing 5th in the B&F, the Longer trade sets up their ruck division long-term, while Current and Templeton are great value late draft/rookie picks.

The previous year they traded two picks twice for upgrades, and got Hickey, who I think is a better prospect than McEvoy as a pure ruckman, and Lee, who looks like he could be a bust at pick 12. But at least they have tried to address their key forward issues. Wright, Murdoch and Saunders all look good prospects from that draft.

Yes, they are going to struggle next season, and it’s going to be a while before they are competitive again. But I think they have made some brave and smart decisions that will set them up long-term.


I’d only point out they could’ve easily addressed all those issues if they’d drafted guys in the first place, rather than trading players out for picks all the damn time. Not only players but they’ve traded a lot of picks, tends to be the cheapest and most likely way of getting a superstar after all.
Meanwhile younsgters Ray, Gilbert, Fisher and Schneider going around again. Farren Ray!
11

A reply to: @Paul Peos regarding QuoteLink

A reply to: @Windy Dill regarding QuoteLink
You can't blame Lyon for going hard at the Premiership.

You can when they don’t win it, and then he just deserts them, leaving them with a list like he did.

When Lyon left they still had Montagna, Dal Santo, Goddard, Riewoldt, and McEvoy, all still playing pretty good footy. That’s a key forward, a ruckman, and three pretty good midfielders. The list was in good shape IMO - and a better gameplan would have got that list a flag or two. I think Ross is a pretty good list builder - just don’t like his gameplan.

Now, the Saints are building their list back up pretty well I reckon. Problem will be that playing a lot of young guys all at once tends to teach them that development is more important than results, which can foster a losing culture, or create excuses.

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A reply to: @Paul Peos regarding QuoteLink

A reply to: @Windy Dill regarding QuoteLink
You can't blame Lyon for going hard at the Premiership.

You can when they don’t win it, and then he just deserts them, leaving them with a list like he did.

To be fair to him, they sat on his contract negotiations for like 6 months knowing full well his contract was coming up and surely realising he'd be in demand.

Not like he was dealing with them and Freo, Freo were the only ones to offer him a contract.

But yeah definitely agree the list he left them with was pretty much balls for anything other than Rossco footy.

13
A reply to: @Paul Peos regarding QuoteLink
A reply to: @Windy Dill regarding QuoteLink
You can't blame Lyon for going hard at the Premiership.

You can when they don’t win it, and then he just deserts them, leaving them with a list like he did.

When Lyon left they still had Montagna, Dal Santo, Goddard, Riewoldt, and McEvoy, all still playing pretty good footy. That’s a key forward, a ruckman, and three pretty good midfielders. The list was in good shape IMO - and a better gameplan would have got that list a flag or two. I think Ross is a pretty good list builder - just don’t like his gameplan.

Now, the Saints are building their list back up pretty well I reckon. Problem will be that playing a lot of young guys all at once tends to teach them that development is more important than results, which can foster a losing culture, or create excuses.

Foster a losing culture at the Saints?
Not a problem. Hasn’t been one for 100 years or so.

14

In know St Kilda are a povo club, but was Lyon in charge of list management?

15

Will be miles better than Footscray

16

A reply to: @nickyd regarding QuoteLink

Will be miles better than Footscray

I can’t think of a single area other than ruck where St Kilda have an edge over the Bulldogs long term.

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Quoted Post

A reply to: @nickyd regarding QuoteLink
Will be miles better than Footscray

I can’t think of a single area other than ruck where St Kilda have an edge over the Bulldogs long term.

Long term I agree

Next year however

18

A reply to: @Windy Dill regarding QuoteLink

A reply to: @nickyd regarding QuoteLink
Will be miles better than Footscray

I can’t think of a single area other than ruck where St Kilda have an edge over the Bulldogs long term.

Agree. Bulldogs are better, have more talented youngsters and are further advanced in developing their under 23s. Liberatore, Wallis, Dahlhaus, Hunter and Clay Smith are going to take big steps this year. And that's not including Bontempelli and Macrae. They'll surprise a few teams hut won't sit much higher than the Saints.
19

Bulldogs lost Griffen and Cooney.

20

A reply to: @nickyd regarding QuoteLink

Bulldogs lost Griffen and Cooney.

Yeah but they have Crameri who can play in the midfield.